Page 49 of Forever Flustered

“Oh Eli…” she whispered thickly, marveling at him once more. He had so many secrets, so many things that she would never understand, but the amount of things he’d gone through, what he’d fought to escape, how he stood strong despite it all and somehow managed to still provide for those who had wronged him in his heart… he was magnificent, yet eerily silent regarding any of it. A tower that stood alone in a hurricane, unflinching in the eye of danger - yet not untouched.

“I got them,” Eli offered in a hushed voice, quiet and reserved, almost like he was embarrassed. “I got them when I got my call sign. I’d gotten paid, wanted to celebrate my achievements, and went to some dive place to get it done because I didn’t know any better… and I got an infection,” he chuckled softly, sharing the memories with her. “That’s why they are my only tattoos. I couldn’t reach them to scratch or pick at them easily – and boy, they were crusty and itched a lot…” They both laughed softly before he spoke again. “Do they bother you?”

“Not at all,” she admitted, oiling her hands and rubbing them together to try and warm them up before placing them on his shoulders. “You just don’t seem like the tattoo type of guy, you know?”

“I’m not,” he whispered – and then groaned as her warm hands touched his skin, immediately kneading deeply into the muscles.

“Does that hurt?” she asked, pausing for a moment.

“No… no, it feels amazing.”

“Not too deep? You’ve got a heck of a knot in your shoulders – which is probably why you’re always rubbing your neck.”

“No,” he moaned again, sighing into it as she worked. “Go for it… this is amazing.”

She began working her thumbs and the heels of her hands into his shoulders, kneading, rubbing, and gently working out the knots as he lay there under her, silent. She would never admit that she lied to him – yes, she tried to avoid looking at a client, keeping things professional, but it couldn’t be helped at times… but Eli?

Oh gosh, her eyes devoured him. His shoulders were beautiful and golden, even in the dim light, and dotted with freckles that looked like stars upon a beautiful canvas. Those words on his shoulder blades glowed with a ferocity that probably matched the silent fighter within him. He would never start a fight, but she knew within an inch of her very life that if push came to shove – Eli would certainly finish it.

The baby blue sheets to keep things modest between masseuse and client felt almost like an intimate tease. He had dimples on his lower back that disappeared under the sheet – taunting her. Maureen could have spent days rubbing his skin, memorizing the feeling, the texture, drinking it into the very essence of her being… and then she heard him snore softly.

She had forgotten to put on the yoga music, so she was able to hear the faint sound, realizing he’d gone limp completely instead of tensing or making a noise when she got to a particularly sore spot.

He was sound asleep.

Smiling tenderly, she gingerly moved the sheet to reveal his leg, keeping his backside covered appropriately, and began to massage his limbs one at a time. This felt so intimate, so special. This was a gift she could give him, unencumbered, deep sleep that was probably long overdue. He couldn’t have slept well on the couch last night where they’d been watching the television, but the long flight here – and now he was facing another one back to Afghanistan. All of that travel mixed with the tension took a toll on the body, mind, and spirit… and she wanted to give him a moment of peace.

“Sleep, my love,” she breathed softly, her voice aching and full of emotion. If he was asleep - he wouldn’t hear her, but it might do her a little good to say it to him once, even if he was unconscious. She rubbed his back, his legs, his arms and shoulders, repeatedly – simply circling the table. This was a precious moment she never wanted to end.

That thought finally made her look up at the clock on the wall – that and the ache in her lower back from standing there so long. It had been almost three hours, probably the longest massage she had ever given someone in her entire life. Carefully, she moved the sheet back up to his shoulders, covering him once more so he didn’t get cold. Leaning down, she dropped a soft kiss on his temple and simply let him sleep.

Leaving the door open in case he woke up, Maureen sat down in her desk chair and put her feet up, closing her own eyes for a brief moment. She would have to face the morning soon enough – and say ‘goodbye’. Smiling, she realized that she never had him turn over, meaning that she never even got to rub the front of those beautiful shoulders.

Darn…

CHAPTER 16

ARCHANGEL

I’m dead…

“Oh gosh,” Eli groaned as he tried to push himself off the floor – only to realize that the ‘floor’ was padded and warm. He was on a table. A massage table, which meant Maureen… oh no… “I fell asleep,” he whimpered aloud, groaning as his body protested the movement. Lifting his head, he hesitated in dawning horror. The ‘O’-shaped cushion he’d had his face down in now had a pendulum of snot hanging from his nose, dangling.

And it was dawn.

“Maureen?” he rasped, sitting up and groaning audibly before grabbing part of the sheet and wiping his nose like a heathen. He was not going to let the woman he adored see him with snot hanging from his face. It was bad enough he fell asleep during her ministrations. He never slept like this, never let down his guard this much, and… his neck?

His neck wasn’t hurting!

His body ached, but in a good way. It was like he’d run ten miles and desperately needed some water, but he felt amazing – stiff, but amazing. His neck though, was a revelation. There were no spasms, no tightness, no jaw pain running down the side of his neck… nothing.

He felt almost normal.

“Hey,” Maureen whispered in greeting, moving to the side of the table and handing him a glass of water. “Slowly sit up,” she instructed softly in that soothing voice of hers. “It’s disorienting sometimes after a massage, and you might feel a little tender in places. Your neck and shoulders were a mess.”

“I feel sore,” he admitted, taking a sip of the water and looking at her. “and incredible. Oh my gosh, I should have had a massage years ago – sheesh.”

She smiled at him – and then it faded.